Fallout 4 was certainly one of the most anticipated games of 2015 but does it live up to expectation?

Fallout returns us to the world of post-apocalyptic America and, unlike the previous games, this time around offers us a slightly different approach with an introduction to what happened before the bomb even dropped and the whole nuclear war started. The game begins with you being evacuated from your home, with your family, to a fallout shelter as you look to survive a nuclear war that is breaking out around you.

In a similar experience to Skyrim, you have to be a little bit patient when starting out, you have an early storyline to follow and the basics to learn. The basics of the storyline are to escape from Vault 101 and set off on your quest to find your family. This opens up a much more complex storyline was you meet other characters with their own stories, fates and destinies. The game does a great job of sucking you into the story and you will find yourself easily hooked as you await to find out what happens next.

A major difference to previous games is that Power Armor is now available from the first quest and while it may seem like this reduces the experience at the beginning, you would be wrong. Power Armor is much more balanced in Fallout 4. It needs constant fuel and can be damaged pretty easily, you have to decide whether it is worth using or whether you can save it for further down the line. While you are exploring the world you can meet a whole host of characters and civilizations that are coping with the nuclear fallout in different ways. This opens up a huge range of side quests. However, these side missions are optional and you have the complete freedom to simply skip them and pursue the main story. Keep in mind though, these side quests are a great source for additional items and definitely help you progress with skills and developing your character.

The weapons system is very unique and improved compared to previous games. VATS system no longer completely freezes time, making enemies harder to kill. Saving ammo is vital and one of the best strategies to establish early on. As you progress you can upgrade and customise weapons with additional elements such as a scope or a bayonet. Less powerful weapons can also be upgraded much more easily, so keep this in mind in terms of your strategy.

The open world system developed by Bethesda allows the game to create a much more enhanced world. Graphically the game looks and feels much more like a real world environment. The roads are now much wider and the towns larger, resembling real real life city. This gives you the chance to explore more deeply than previous games.

Previous Fallout games have had a somewhat revolutionary dialog system that allowed the player to develop their character through their interactions and their answers when talking to AI characters. However, the one criticism of Fallout 4 is that this system has been tweaked slightly. The interactions feel more like Skyrim, and while that offers a good way to interact with others, so you do not necessarily feel like you are creating a character through dialog. While there are more characters than ever before, you may feel slightly less attached to them.

Fallout 4 is definitely the most developed and most detailed game in the series. The world is simply beautiful from a visual point of view. The game offers great RPG style action. But some die hard fans may feel like some of the more classic Fallout elements are slightly lacking. However, if you’re looking for an open world game, with freedom, a solid storyline, tons and tons of options when it comes to creating your character, then Fallout for is definitely a game for you.